


Carnal Knowledge

by girlwiththekey



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Power Play, Pre-Series, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, Wartime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:13:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwiththekey/pseuds/girlwiththekey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He rose her up to the status of Fire Nation Princess and then tore her down into nothing - or, so he tried.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Ursa felt uncomfortable underneath his gaze. It was formidable and made her feel stripped of her clothing. She felt a harsh, embarrassing blush creep up onto her cheeks, but tried to fight it off. She turned her head to the side, wishing he wasn't so blatantly staring at her. Her neck grew hot and in that moment she honestly wished she could Earthbend - simply so that she may create a large hole right where she was standing and allow the ground to swallow her up.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Her mother asked, her painted lips smiling pleasantly, though Ursa knew she must not have been pleased with that fact that her eldest daughter was on the verge of making a scene.

"Of course not, mother. I apologize if I somehow indicated otherwise." She bowed slightly, careful to maintain her balance; she wasn't used to the heavy material of her dress robes and the gesture almost made her wobble. Nevertheless, she straightened her back, albeit without grace, and walked away, determined to find a place to distance herself away from the stare that made her so uncomfortable.

Settling down on the alcove right outside of the entrance of the Fire Nation's royal ball room, Ursa allowed herself to relax for a moment, now that she was away from the prying eyes and lingering gazes of the noblemen crowding the event. She rested her head against the wall behind her and let out a deep sigh she didn't know had been in her.

She hasn't been in the Fire Nation capital for long – this was her first visit, in fact, since she was but a young child, too infantile to truly remember anything from her trip – but already she had been able to pick up on the large cultural difference been the motherland and its colonies. Everything was so formal on the mainland, she noted; though, Ursa supposed, that was likely due to the constant presence of royalty and noblemen, alike. They hardly received any visitors in the colonies, at least not on the island she lived on, that she knew of, but when they did, they were usually generals or captains who held meetings with her step-father.

The men who visited the island were never anything short of polite, though they did seem a little distant, she always thought. Nonetheless, the formalities were never an issue, as her mother and step-father usually shooed her and her younger brother, Haun, out of the house so that they could properly greet and entertain their guests the moment their arrival was announced.

The men here though, Ursa noticed as soon as she arrived at the capital, were not as pleasant as they acted in the colonies. Here the men were more obvious about their lingering stares and ogles. They still maintained a somewhat respectfully distance though, probably as a result of the utmost obedience and formality required of them by the Fire Lord; and for that she was extremely grateful, as their stares always made her feel embarrassed – she was unused to the idea of male attention and didn't think it was too proper to socialize for too long with a man whose impure intentions were abundantly clear.

Ursa's fingers trailed over the golden silk threads of her dress skirts and wondered where her mother had secured such a fine set of robes for her. Sure, she knew her mother would have no trouble paying for something so intricately stitched, as she had remarried into nobility when Ursa was young, of course; but in all honesty, Ursa spent so little time in formal dress robes (she thought them too confining and restricting for school or leisure activities) that she wondered how her mother had found the right measurements to tailor the dress to fit her body perfectly. She certainly never asked Ursa to pose for any type of costuming fitting…

Nevertheless, it was a fine garment, smooth to the touch and beautifully and intricately threaded, though heavy with all the thick under-skirts underneath the inner robe.

Her mind elsewhere, so busy concentrating on the fingers that are sailing over the hem of her sleeve, tracing a red-beaded dragon, that Ursa did not pay heed to the soft whisper of footsteps that approached her until she finally noticed a figure overshadow her.

Looking up, Ursa instantly flushed, and nervously stood, bowing deeply before hesitantly meeting his gaze once again. "Your Grace," she murmured. His stare was as scorching as ever.

"Lady Ursa," he responded, his voice smooth and sounding so much more mature and refined than her own.

She wished to fill the silence that has fallen upon them, as it made the moment that stretched between them quite unbearable – but that was solely what it was: a moment, nothing more that a couple of seconds, but it still made her uncomfortable. She waited to be prompted to speak, as her mother had taught her when she was younger. Usually the rule only applied to elders and honored guests, but Ursa assumed it extended to the crowned Prince of the Fire Nation as well.

Finally he spoke, "I noticed you left the ballroom."

It was not a question – nor an accusation; his tone was not in any way afflicting. It was simply a statement. Still, Ursa could understand the tone behind it. And now she knew she must explain herself.

"Yes, Your Grace, I was feeling unwell and decided a moment alone to collect myself might help."

"Hmm." He nodded, in a way that conveyed understanding, but Ursa suspected that he simply did this for her benefit, as he did not seem to be able to tear that awful, scorching look away from her. It must have been so obvious, she thought, that I wanted avoid him, with my face so red and and my behavior so dumbfounded. "If you are feeling so unwell," he began, taking a step back and gesturing towards the wide hallway beside them that led back towards the main quarters of the palace, "perhaps you shall allow me to escort you back to your room, so that you might take the rest of the evening off, recovering."

Ursa did not move. "No, no, I couldn't possibly impose on you like that." She felt her blush rising even higher and knew for a fact that being along – more alone than she already was – with this man was not a good idea. "I really must be getting back to my family; they'll wonder where I went off to…" she lowered her head, avoiding his eyes, hoping to convey a certain submission, as to not offend him with her decline to his offer.

"I'll escort you back." He left no time for further argument and instead placed his large hand on the small of her back, and began to guiding her down the hallway.

"I really must – !"

"Do not fret over it." His deep voice was firm and unrelenting, she could tell.

She allowed him to show her through the hall and fidgeted with her with her fingers underneath the long sleeves on her robes. She was unsure of whether she should say something or not. She was unused to being in the presence of royalty, growing up so far way from the Fire Nation capital, and didn't understand some of the customs she had seen others adhere to here. Should she prompt conversation? Remain silent until he spoke first, again? Should she ask him why his eyes had been on her all evening?

Her stomach was a bundle of nerves and didn't calm at all when he finally spoke.

"Lady Ursa, do you know how long your family will be visiting the capital?" he asked, leading her down a dimmed corridor.

She shook her head slowly, "No, Your Grace, my parents haven't really mentioned how long our holiday will last – though I assume we will be here until your brother's coronation, at least." She smiled lightly, hoping to brighten the solemn conversation with her mention of the Prince's elder sibling, Iroh.

He did not return her smile, but simply held her gaze with his golden eyes until she relented and turned away, once again focusing on her fidgeting fingers. She continued anxiously: "You must be excited, though, right? And proud of your brother as well?"

"The coronation has been postponed," he said promptly, "my brother will be leaving the capital, soon, to serve his country."

This was news to Ursa – as far as she knew, Prince Iroh was scheduled to replace his father as Fire Lord at least by end of this month. Still, Ursa never made it a point to discuss politics with neither her mother, nor her step-father. Maybe this had already been announced and she was just making herself seem ignorant. She had never taken heed to any topics concerning the royal family before – living on a secluded Fire Nation colony and all – but still, in the eyes of any citizen from the motherland, she must have seemed foolish for not knowing the most current events.

"Oh," she paused for a second, not knowing how to continue, "my apologizes, Your Grace. I-…I was not now aware that your brother would be taking on a military position. Is there a specific venture he is interested in pursuing?"

Ursa had only been introduced to the older prince once during her visit; still, the older gentleman had seemed kind-hearted to her, smiling widely as introductions and greetings were being made. He had expressed interest in Ursa when her mother mentioned her skill at watercolor portraits, which had made Ursa blush, not used to the attention she was receiving. Prince Iroh had given his wife a quick kiss on her cheek and said that he would be delighted if Ursa would be willing to paint a family portrait for him and his wife – once their first child was born, of course, he stressed, his hand planted lovingly on his paramour's pregnant belly – under commission. Ursa had agreed quickly before the Prince had been ushered off on the request of his father for some private meeting. The introduction between the two had been swift, but nevertheless Ursa was left with the impression that Prince Iroh was a kind, sweet man.

She had a hard time imagining him taking on some sort of role in the Fire Nation's military. Or being related to the man that walked beside her right now, for that matter.

"Yes," Prince Ozai's deep voice shook her out of her thoughts, "he wants to work his way up into commanding as a general, then lead the Fire Nation into the larger Earth Kingdom cities that still stand."

"That's pretty ambitious." Ursa commented. "I wish him well."

"Mh." The prince made no further comment. The hand that had previously been on Ursa's back slid to her side to grip at her waist. He continued leading her down the hallway and Ursa briefly wondered if they were lost in the maze of corridors that made up the palace before realizing how stupid her thought was – the prince had been raised in this magnificent place. Of course he knew where he was taking her.

"Well," she said, simply to fill up the silence between them before it grew too uncomfortable again, "if that is the case with the coronation, then I have no idea when my family and I will be returning back to the colonies, but I imagine it will be very soon."

They made a left turn down one hallway, which led them to a wide open walkway by the gardens. Ursa had caught glimpses of the open grounds several times during her short time here already, but had never gotten a close look, unfortunately, as she was always scurried onwards by her mother and told to fasten her pace. She'd never been given the time to properly explore the gardens.

However, at the Prince's leisurely pace, she was finally able to scan her eyes over the palace grounds. The place was lit up with lanterns that hung on wires over the trees, giving the flower beds and other plant-life a lively, almost golden, glow. The lanterns reflected off of the shimmering water in a pond at the center of the garden, where she caught sight of a small group of turtle-ducklings and their mother.

"Oh!" she murmured, delighted. "How lovely."

"What is?"

Ursa had been so distracted by the view she had basically forgotten the presence that had been showing her down the pathway in the first place.

She smiled, too enchanted by the gardens to remember her original discomfort with the Prince. "The gardens," she replied, not tearing her gaze away from the Fire Lilies she spotted across the pond for a second, "they are simply gorgeous. You must have loved being able to come out here and explore whenever you wanted to when you were a child."

The man next to her did not confirm her comment, but merely moved so that he was now leading her into the gardens.

Ursa did not question him and instead fell into step with him, ignoring how her dress robes would not take too kindly to the grass she now stood on.

They walked over to the edge of the pond silently, and although Ursa could feel his gaze on her, she kept her eyes focused on the small creatures in front of her instead.

His hand still rested on her waist and although she would like nothing better than to squirm underneath his hold, she resisted because she knew that it was not proper and she would never hear the end of it from her mother if she somehow found out that her esteemed daughter had insulted the Crowned Prince.

She decided, instead, to simply allow herself to enjoy the scenery that was on display before her. There were no gardens like this in the colonies. Their home rested by the beach and though Ursa did enjoy the loud, untamed sounds of the sea waves and the feel of sand in-between her toes as she walked her way home from school, she could not help but feel a certain type of sadness as she realized that she will only be able see this type of plant-life on the Fire Nation motherland.

The island she lived on did have public botanical grounds though, she supposed, but they never curated anything like the flowers in this garden and mostly hosted tropical plants, very dissimilar to the delicate plants cultivated here. Yes, she decided internally, I will certainly miss only the beauty of the gardens here.

Ursa stood still, merely taking in the view before her, admiring the way the fire in the lanterns flickered across the pond's surface, and immediately stiffened when she felt the fingertips of of Prince Ozai's hand caress her backside. Her shoulders tensed automatically. It hadn't occurred to her until now how odd it was that now that they were just standing and not walking, he hadn't removed his hand off of her body. She didn't know how to approach the subject – she had never been touched by a man before in this manner…

His hand splayed lower down her back slowly and Ursa found herself unable to control her breathing – her breath hitched slightly as she felt his body lean in closer towards hers. His body temperature was warm, almost hot; she figured this must be normal for a firebender (although she did not know this for certain, as no one in her immediate family was one, nor any of her close friends) and tried not to let the warmth of his body lull her into relaxation.

"Lady Ursa," he said lowly, making a blush creep up her neck and spread across her cheeks, staining them a bright red, "are you comfortable here?" His lips were practically brushing against her ear – she could feel his breath, warm like the rest of his body, on her skin.

Her mind flashed back to the heated gazes he had been sending her way in the royal ball room and nervously intertwined her fingers together. "Yes, of course, Your Grace. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," he hummed, allowing his hand to trail upwards now, stroking her hair for a moment before moving it aside to give himself access to her neck.

He must have felt the heat on neck from her blush now, she knew, which only served her into becoming even more embarrassed by his actions. Is the Prince always this forward with the ladies from his court?, she wondered, as his fingers brushed lightly over her skin. His strokes were soft and light and actually felt lovely for a moment. They were becoming somewhat soothing, with the heat that radiated off them.

"Hmm," a small whimper fell through her lips accidentally when his fingers reached over and start tracing her jaw line. She was just starting to close her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering shut, when she felt him retrieve his hand away from her body and take a step back.

She turned to him, confused – not sure whether she was glad he has stopped or anxious and disappointed that he had. "Your Grace…" she began hesitantly.

"Allow me to continue escorting you to your visiting chambers, Lady Ursa," he said calmly, yet strictly, before she could get another word out. His eyes were commanding and don't leave hers for a moment until finally she nodded her consent.

"Yes, please, Your Grace. That would be most kind."

And so Ursa allowed the Crowned Prince to lead her back into the palace, his hand finding its way back on her waist, where she was ever-so-conscious of his touch, once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

It occurred to Ursa, as her family's stay at the Fire Nation capital dragged on and extended into long months, that she was being courted. The thought was an odd one, farfetched almost, but she had no other explanation for the attention she received from the Prince otherwise.

Her step-father, a retired general, had no further business on the mainland other than his mandatory appearance at the semi-annual political assembly. Usually he travelled to the event by himself, leaving his wife and step-children on their colonized island home for a few weeks, always returning with small gifts and trinkets from his trip. But this year, Ursa and her younger brother, Haun, had asked to come along, both feeling that they were finally old enough to venture into the mainland and handle themselves properly amongst the courtly crowd.

Truthfully, neither sibling cared much for court-life and had simply wished to explore the Fire Nation mainland itself, hoping to wander off to the theaters and other entrainment venues. Granted, they knew this had to be done within the chaperoning limits of their mother's watchful eye or one of their step-father's trusted servants, but nevertheless they had hoped to explore the capital beyond the Royal Palace.

Time passed and the leaves in the gardens changed colors; the days crept closer to the end of summer and Ursa anticipated their scheduled departure. Although she had enjoyed her stay, despite its limitations, she was beginning to feel homesick and missed her family's beachside home.

School was to start soon as well, and it would not do to leave their preparation for the academic year until the last minute. Her summer studies had come to a halt during her family's travels, but had been expected to be returned to after a brief period. As their stay at the Fire Nation Capital stretched, however, she fell more and more behind on her summer schoolwork. This was a hindrance, she thought momentarily one passing day, as she was likely to be way more behind on her studies as compared to her prepared classmates – a shame really, as she was so close to graduating already. She expected her brother would be faced with the same predicament too, once they returned home.

Her worries only grew as more time passed at the Capital. Even when her step-father went by himself, he was never gone for more than a few weeks, at most. His visit was never this long.

It was the sporadic visits from Prince Ozai that really stirred an uneasy feeling within Ursa the most though. The Crowned Prince was sure to make his presence known every time she happened upon him in the Palace and he always found reason to cross paths with her every so often when she was allowed to wander the grounds without an escort. And although Ursa hadn't directly spoken to him since their late night stroll in the Palace gardens, she could still feel a blush creep along her neck and cheeks whenever she found his eyes piercing into her own, even if it was from across the room with a sea of noble guests and servants between them. Automatically, she would avert her eyes during those instances, hoping that his attention would find itself fixed upon any of the other highly decorated women in the room.

Since her last face-to-face encounter with the Prince, Ursa had made a point to avoid the overbearing man. Even in social settings, when it would be considered slightly disrespectful, or at least particularly not engaging to not make her rounds through the room, interacting with all the nobles, she chose to remain subverted in the background, hoping to blend in with the numerous people who made their way about the scene.

Ursa had thought long about her brief interaction with the Prince, but was unable to find what it was that truly made her uncomfortable in his presence. True, their exchange had been inappropriate and a boundary line rudely and arrogantly ignored, but that wasn't what really bothered Ursa. It was his eyes. They made her feel…a number of conflicting emotions, which confused and frustrated her to no end. She felt warm, almost, exhilarated whenever his golden eyes came upon her, but also demeaned, and insignificant. It was odd, she had mused several times, his eyes held a burning passion, one that seemed to rage like a wildfire, but seemed dulled out at the same time – dead. It was as if he himself were this wrathful creature that…that had been disciplined into submission? No, no, that wasn't right, she had thought, it was more as if he had been trained into a false sense of subservience that hadn't really stuck. He was detached from himself and was all too aware of every movement from himself and from those around him.

But, nevertheless, Ursa had figured, this was the Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation she was thinking about, and to say her thoughts aloud would practically be treason. So instead she chose to ignore the feelings those eyes, that must have seemed enticing to many other women, gave her and avoided Prince Ozai whenever she could.

Unfortunately, as summer was coming to its end, she found herself, much to her mother's delight and her own begrudging acceptance, invited to several more royal gatherings than she had ever intended on attending at the beginning of the season. She had hoped to explore more with her brother, but had instead mostly stayed on Palace grounds, and with increasing urgency prompted by her mother, present at more and more social events. And, of course, at each one, she had found herself having to evade Prince Ozai, lest he find an excuse to separate her from the crowd. Being alone with him, Ursa had decided, would only lead to trouble.

Regrettably, avoiding him wasn't in the stars for her. Invitation after invitation came to her family's suite, indicating their presence was requested upon from the royal family. And she had a feeling she knew by whom exactly it was in the family that demanded their attendance.

The most recent gathering, though, had been directly solely towards her, and Ursa had found herself alone preparing for the evening as her family left the Palace to enjoy the night at a local theater.

The latest event to be hosted was a long feast, wherein she was required to sit through course after course – her only source of amusement were the bits and pieces she'd managed to overhear from Prince Iroh who was seated down the table, opposite to her. The older royal sibling was in the middle of an over-exaggerated story, his hands waving excitedly as he recounted adventures from his travels. His wife and those fortunate enough to be seated near the friendly Prince were laughing jovially, giving him their full attention. Ursa wished she was seated closer to Prince Iroh; she could only catch snippets of his tale, when his voice rose with enthusiasm.

As the final course was delivered – a strictly mainland-esque dish, she had quietly assessed, as she had never had the pleasure of tasting something so sweet in the colonies – Ursa mentally went over her plans to escape the social gathering right after dinner. She hoped to only stay long enough to express her gratitude to her hosts and then feign tiredness and excuse herself back to her family's suite.

The only thing she truly dreaded was once again having to face Prince Ozai as she gave her thanks for a lovely evening. But it couldn't be helped – she knew she could never get away with only thanking Prince Iroh; if her mother caught wind of her discourteousness towards the younger prince, regardless of her reasoning, she would never hear the end of it. Rants and raves over how disrespectful she was towards the royal host and how badly her behavior reflected on the family would be all she would hear about until they made it back home.

Gathering her courage as the entire dinner party collectively moved to the adjourning ball room, Ursa walked over to Prince Iroh and his wife, approaching the couple as they headed towards the dance floor.

"Your Grace," she bowed.

"Lady Ursa!" Prince Iroh exclaimed with delight.

"Lady Ursa," his wife repeated in a calmer tone, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"I would like to thank you extending your invitation for this wonderful evening to me. It has been a great pleasure, but I must excuse myself now and retire, if you do not mind."

"Of course, Lady Ursa, thank you for your attendance. Your company was appreciated." Prince Iroh and his wife bowed lightly and excused themselves. They walked over to the dance floor and wrapped themselves into each others' arms, partaking in the enjoyment alongside their guests with the excitement of live music (a traditional Fire Nation orchestra that played a festive ballad). They were a lovely couple, Ursa reflected, so uniquely balanced with one another. A fine pairing, she decided.

Ursa braced herself, taking a calming breath, and made her through the throng of Fire Nation nobles. Finding the younger Prince, she thanked the heavens that he didn't notice her approaching – she was sure that if his eyes were upon hers as she walked towards him she would lose her nerve. She had never been particularly courageous, her one true downfall, she supposed, so she was thankful that Prince Ozai seemed engaged in conversation with one of the elder generals that she recognized from her early studies as a young student at the Fire Nation Academy in the colonies.

Unfortunately, it seemed her favor was not meant to last for too long, as soon it seemed the general was dismissed by the young prince and his full attention shifted towards his surroundings. His eyes briefly scanned the room until they met hers as she approached. Almost instantaneously his gaze darkened and Ursa felt a blush spread across her cheeks, which was basically habitual at the this point whenever he had his attentions focused on her, and felt herself growing simultaneously embarrassed and irritated by how he seemed to be able to control her body. He noticed the redness across her face, she was sure, every time.

As demurely as possible, Ursa clasped her hands together over the silk of her dress and bowed at the Prince. She recited her previous expression of gratitude as she tried her best to ignore the look he was currently giving her.

"I would like to thank you extending your invitation for this lovely evening to me. It has been a great pleasure, but I must excuse myself now and retire, if you do not mind."

"I mind," he drawled.

"I-Ah," Ursa was taken aback at his forwardness. "E-excuse me?"

"I mind," he repeated.

"Oh." Ursa was at a loss for words – her fingernails dug into her skin and she awkwardly searched for something to say to the esteemed man. "I…Your Grace?"

"Would it be a terrible bother to ask you," Prince Ozai spoke, his hand reaching out to brush a lock of hair that had come loose from her up-do away from her face, "to spend the evening by my side?" The manner in which he phrased his question let Ursa know that it wasn't a question at all. In fact, to even pretend to cite it as such was a bit tedious and unnecessary.

"Of course not, Your Grace, I wouldn't mind at all. It would be my pleasure," she replied, feeling the ever-constant swirl of anxiousness in her stomach that appeared whenever he was around once again come bubbling back.

He smiled a smile that seemed to do nothing but bare his teeth in a form mockery before he inclined his head. "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself at all," the fire prince surmised, "Is the company of nobles and militants not to the standard of a fine woman such as yourself?"

He was teasing her, Ursa was sure of it, but the words came out more cruel than jokingly and she wasn't sure how to respond to it. Her etiquette classes as a young child never covered such an odd exchange of dialogue.

"Wha-? No, of course not! I mean, of course they are! Well enough for me – for my company I mean! I wasn't – I didn't mean to insinuate – ! I just haven't been feeling well, Your Grace, and thought it best to retire…" She ended her statement in a murmur and almost balked at her blatant display of discomfort. She was sure that if her mother were at her side at this very moment, her nails would be digging into the palm of Ursa's hand and she would clear her throat in preparation of repairing the conversation that Ursa ruined with her fumbling words.

Surprisingly, the young price, albeit haughtily and not-kindly, chuckled. His voice was deep and rich, although sounded practiced and not at all like the laughter shared between Ursa and her friends, or even her younger brother. So, in turn, she gave him a small smile in hopes that this was the response he was looking for.

"If it please Your Grace," she started, "would it be a –"

"What would please me," Prince Ozai interrupted, taking her hand in his and sweeping his thumb over the hilt of her knuckles (his touch was just as warm and heady and she remembered), "is your company wherever my presence may be needed."

"Oh!" His statement unexpected and frank, caught her off-guard and she thought shamelessly if it were possible that the prince had more than courtly interest in her – though she knew that he had kept her family on the mainland for more time than necessary of them, she had never thought that his 'courting' (if it could even be called that as most of their interaction consisted of avoidance and discomfort on her part) was realistic. Her family's status, she knew, was mainly the result of her mother's second marriage to her current step-father. Her biological father, Ursa was told at a young age, had been a lower-house noble – definitely not someone worthy of Palace events. It was through her step-father's military connections that the behest of attendance came from. Ursa knew that she wasn't ranked highly enough as a noble to pique the interest of marriage within the royal family; it was a simple fact. One that currently worried her, for if it were common knowledge for even her to admit, why was the youngest prince of the Fire Nation 'courting' her in the first place if he did not have unbecoming intentions?

"Right now, Lady Ursa" he drawled, his eyes finding hers, "I have found myself bored and unwilling to continue spending my time here. Would you care to join me for a walk?"

Ursa blushed, her mind automatically drawn back to the last time they went for an evening scroll together and what had occurred then. She tried pulling back, stepping away from the prince to give herself some much-needed assurance, but his grasp on her hand was firm and unrelenting. "Um, pardon me, Your Grace, but I don't know if that would be such a grand idea; we might be searched for by the other guests and our absence questioned…"

"It wasn't a question."

She knew that, but had hoped against all odds that he would take heed of her words and actually comply with her wants instead of his own – her current desire first and foremost being that he not find a way to separate them from the crowd. The last time they were alone together she had been weak-minded and allowed him to conduct himself in an unseemly manner. This time she would not give him the same opportunity, lest she fall under his scorching spell once again.

"Of course, Your Grace," she lowered her gaze demurely, hoping that he would be flattered by her quick submission, "I would be honored to accompany you for a walk."

This seemed to please him for a moment before she continued. "You wouldn't mind if I request the presence of a chaperone though, would you?" she asked kindly. And although her head was still bowed, she could feel his gaze on her burn with irate. Yes, she inwardly commended herself; she could be just as manipulative as she suspected he could be.

"I don't believe that will be necessary," he stated abruptly.

"Oh it would just be a formality, of course, Your Grace," she said, finding it somewhat amusing that almost all that she said had to be punctuated with an 'of course, Your Grace', as to otherwise not do so would make it seem as though she were not in agreement with the Crowned Prince, which was surely an unforgivable insult against him. "But one that the Fire Nation court formerly requires for the both of us."

The prince leaned in towards her and whispered harshly, "You didn't seem to mind not having a third party in our company the last time we were alone." His iron grip on her hand seemed to somehow grow even tighter.

A gasp escaped her lips and she felt the ever-present anxiousness that he placed in her grow tenfold. He had stunned her with his dismissal of courtly etiquette – even if they both knew that their back-and-forth had been an act of formality, she hadn't expected him to ignore the rules of their encounter and simply state their indecent behavior to her as if it were nothing.

"I don't – that's hardly relevant! I mean, of course, Your Grace, that –" Ursa was beginning to resent how tongue-tied she had allowed herself to become in his presence.

"You meant to sedate me with the mention of a chaperone," he stated simply.

"No, I didn't!" Ursa blinked at him, bewildered at the sudden change that their conversation had taken.

"You're more comely when you're not lying through your teeth," he sneered mockingly and Ursa could feel her face contorting to match the emotions she so desperately tried to smother down – fear, confusion, and anxiousness.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Your Grace."

"You couldn't if you tried," he retorted. Very slightly, his grip loosened.

"I just…I just didn't think it would have been proper to be alone with you, on account of what happened…last time," she finished lamely.

"It may be best if you tried not to think too thoroughly over occasions that stemmed from mere boredom."

Instantly Ursa's head shot up and her eyes locked in with his golden ones. Frozen with offence and hurt, she stiffly tore her hand away from his grip and took a step back away from him. Mutely, she became aware of the crowd of the ball room once again. "If you don't mind, I think I'll take my leave now."

His eyes left hers and shifted downward, taking in her entire appearance. "Yes, I think that's a fine idea."

Ursa turned away from the Crowned Prince and did her best to disappear into the crowd, trying to make haste and find an exit to escape, all the while feeling the heat of the prince's gaze on the back of her skull.


End file.
